works the diner all day

The election

Hey readers – I’m going to flail around like an inflatable car lot flaily guy for a second.

Since the election, I have composed vast blog posts in my head, composed Twitter threads that I haven’t posted, decided to wait a few days for my thoughts to coalesce into something less HULK SMASH, and now, looking down the barrel of this week, I still don’t know how to proceed here. Do I write an eloquent blog post about how I fear this victory is a danger to our country? I made a promise last year that I’d keep that sort of thing out of my online presence, but this situation feels so very, very different. I am a writer, after all. So do I storm Twitter with statements of loss and defiance and promises to do better? Maybe, but 140 characters isn’t enough. And so much has been written already, pieces that put these feelings into better words than I ever can.

(Besides, I’m better at smooshing my feelings into the shapes of stories. Don’t take my silence for apathy; I assure you that’s not the case. You want to know what I think about the reality-TV-ification of our society and the media’s increasing role in blurring the lines between fiction and reality? My next book, WASTE OF SPACE, is out this summer and that’s exactly what it’s about, and if you can’t feel my anger burning beneath the pages then you’re not reading hard enough.)

So, okay, maybe instead of spending time writing a thinkpiece that no one asked me for, I spend it in the wisest way I know how: by dragging my manuscript out from under the pile of Kleenex, by creating art, by weaving new worlds, by using stories to try to understand each other better, and making you laugh again. That last one will be because I simply can’t help myself.

*fart noise*

But.

I write books for teenagers. Hi, teenagers. I don’t want to make assumptions about your feelings on this election, but I know that right now, there are a lot of you out there who are freaking out. So to you guys, I DO have to say something. If you’ve ever read a book of mine or sent me an email or spent a second of your time reading my words, I owe it to you. So here’s what I want to say to you:

You are not alone.

If you are scared, you are not alone. I am too.

If you are mad, you are not alone. I am too.

If you are gearing up to make positive change in this world, you are not alone. I am too.

Lastly, be kind. Read books. Eat fruit. Listen to Hamilton. And if you have any ideas or ways to get involved that you’d like to tap me for or spread the word about, give me a shout. I’d be happy to *fart noise* oh for heaven’s sake Gina pull it together